When I first opened up my copy of MLB 13: The show, I said to myself, “What have I gotten myself into?” See, I’m not really much of a baseball enthusiast. But after many hours of gameplay, something happened that I hadn’t counted on. MLB 13: The Show made me like it.

Being the baseball “noob” that I was, I figured that the logical starting point for me would be in training mode. It was a good move, too, because I was horrible at this game. In the beginning, I would swing at every pitch in batting practice. My pitching was atrocious and I delivered fastballs to hitters on a silver platter.

Then something happened. I got better. I was finally making hits and striking out batters. Not all the time, but enough to make me feel like a little less of a loser. After many rounds of practice, I was finally confident enough to try a full game. So with my fingers crossed and my lucky rabbit foot in my pocket, I dove in to the world of simulation baseball.

What I found was an excellent baseball game chock full of features that will have even longtime fans feeling satisfied. Aside from the standard single game and season modes, the fan-favorite Road to the Show mode makes a well-deserved reappearance in the main menu.

In Road to the Show, you create your own player and start him on a journey from rags to riches. Starting out at a farm team, you work your way up through the rankings and ultimately to the majors. I found myself playing this mode far longer than I thought I ever would, just so I could see my little guy make it to the big leagues. I was so proud.

Postseason Mode, which is new to the series, lets you skip the lengthy season process and get straight to the action: the playoffs. In this mode, you can choose to control one or all ten teams in the playoffs and chart your path to the World Series. Customizable round lengths make this mode as deep as you want it to be, with options for best of three, five, or seven games. No longer do you have to sim an entire season to get to this point; it’s already there for you.

Still, my favorite game mode has to be Home Run Derby. Here you can swing away alone or with friends in a battle to see who has the best swing in an all-out competition of humiliation and bragging rights. It’s cool, but I always ask myself the same question while playing it: “Why can’t my team hit like this during a normal game?”